When Morning Comes
by Adara-chan67
Summary: Sequel to A New Dawn. Rated for very slight language and because it's a shounen ai. After Kurama's death, things start to go downhill for the Reikai Tentei, especially for a certain fire demon, who might not be able to survive it. COMPLETE
1. One Sweet Day: Chapter 1

_DISCLAIMER: If I didn't own anything in the other fics, why would I own anything here? I ask you…_

_AN: Sorry this story took so long to put up. I had it finished earlier but I had NO Internet access, which, by the way, very nearly killed me. But here it is now!_

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Chapter 1

**Sorry I never told you**

**All I wanted to say.**

**And now it's too late to hold you,**

'**Cause you've flown away,**

**So far away.**

It was a very bright morning in Tokyo. It was about that time of year when the world began to wake up from the long sleep of winter, but it was too early for true, wild, hyper _spring_. Everything seemed caught in drowsy rain and drizzle and gloom.

"I hate being caught inside," Yusuke Urameshi announced to the two people sitting at the table in his kitchen, one sipping coffee and the other just sitting. The black-haired Spirit Detective looked boredly out the window of their apartment's kitchen fair-sized kitchen, wishing desperately that things would clear up. He had wanted to spend the weekend _outside_, having already spent far too much time—in his opinion—in college classrooms. "I _hate_ the rain!"

One of his companions, the violently orange-haired Kazuma Kuwabara, who shared this apartment with him, took a drink of his coffee and then swirled the cup thoughtfully. "I don't know. I think it sounds kinda nice."

The third guy spoke up then, surprising the others for no other reason than that he hardly ever said anything at all. "You know, Kurama always loved the rain. He used to tell me that he could _feel_ the green things growing. It made him so happy."

Yusuke and Kuwabara exchanged slightly alarmed, but mostly sad, looks. Hiei Jaganshi didn't notice this, though. His eyes were glazed and his thoughts faraway. "He loved snow just as much, though. He said the plants liked it, too, because that told them that they were able to rest from their long season. I don't think he could ever decide which was better. He told me once that when he was little, he imagined snowflakes and raindrops talking, and all the conversations they would have. I should…go…there are some things I need to do…I'll be back, though, don't worry…"

As Hiei wandered out the door to the apartment, Yusuke and Kuwabara exchanged another glance. After a moment of silence, Yusuke said, "He isn't getting any better."

Kuwabara sighed. "Did you really expect him to?"

Yusuke collapsed into a chair and ran his hand through his hair. "I don't know. I mean, it _has_ been almost four months since Kurama…died…but I guess it's stupid to expect him to just…get over it. It's just…he's so hard to be around now, ya know?"

His mind drifted back to when Hiei had begun acting this way. _If I had seen this coming, could I have done anything_? he wondered for about the zillionth time.

Three months, three weeks, and four days before, Suuichi Kurama Minamono had been killed by a demon on the job. He had had only Hiei with him at the time, and so only Hiei knew the full story of his death. And he wasn't talking.

Three months, three weeks, and two days before, the delayed reaction to Kurama's death had started to set in. At first, it was as if everyone expected that it was all a big joke and at any time Kurama could just walk in, laughing at how thoroughly he had fooled them. No one wanted to remember that this was not his way.

But after two days, the realization finally hit—and it struck Hiei the hardest of all. It was at that point that he began to slip away—almost unnoticeably. At first it had just been a couple of memories of Kurama here and there, spoken in completely lucid tones. But then things started to go downhill. Hiei started to speak of Kurama _all the time_, and mostly they were completely random memories that had no bearing on the conversation at all. This was painful enough for the listeners, but Hiei's face when he talked of Kurama was worse. The Jaganshi didn't seem to be _there_ at all. His eyes would be clouded over, and anybody could see that while his body was in front of them, his mind was thousands of miles away.

And then, worst of all, he began to talk about Kurama as if he was still alive and right there in the room. That didn't happen all the time, but when it did, there was no telling how long it could take him to get out of it. And if someone tried to snap him back to reality with the harsh truth of "Kurama is dead," all they were likely to receive was a black eye.

Kuwabara, who had taken up residence in Yusuke's spot by the window while Yusuke had been remembering, now commented, "He's headed there again."

Yusuke leaned over and pounded his head on the table. "Damn it, Kuwabara, we have to _do_ something."

**Never had I imagined**

**Living without your smile,**

**Feeling and knowing you near me.**

**It keeps me alive.**

**Alive.**

"_They're worried about you, you know."_

"Why the hell should I care?"

"_Well, you did promise to take care of them."_

"So? What's your point?"

"_It means you shouldn't worry them, carrying on like this. That's the opposite of what Kurama wanted."_

"Don't talk about him."

"_Oh, one of _those_ moments, is it?"_

"Yes. Now shut up."

But Hiei knew that it was no good. The voice in his head never obeyed him anymore. It said what it wanted, when it wanted, and the only way Hiei could stop it from talking about painful things was to say those things aloud. When he did that, the voice subsided for a short time.

But never for long, and always, when it came back, it was even more persistent.

"I'm going crazy."

"_Not going. Gone."_

And Hiei, as he climbed up the tree outside Kurama's window, couldn't help but agree.

**And I know you're shining down on me from Heaven,**

**Like so many friends we've lost along the way.**

**And I know eventually we'll be together.**

**Together.**

**One sweet day.**

"He's getting worse, Koenma, and if he keeps on this path, he's going to die."

Koenma, who was in his teenage form today, seemed to be trying to stay calm as he looked into Yusuke's pale, sad face, but his hands shook very slightly as he shifted his papers around. "Yusuke, I understand that you're worried, and so am I, and so is Kuwabara, and so is everyone else, but what exactly do you think I can do about it?"

"I don't _know_. Just…I can't…I can't stand by and watch him waste away like this," Yusuke said, his voice so small and lost that Koenma ached inside. "Please, Koenma, can't you do _anything_ for him?"

"Like what? Talk to him?" Koenma laughed, but there was no humor in the sound. "You know that would accomplish nothing. He's opened up more since it happened, but he still blames me. He hasn't said it, but all he has to do is look at me, and I know. I can only make things worse."

Yusuke sat down across from Koenma's desk, his shoulders slumped. "I thought miracles were supposed to _help_, but Hiei's newfound sensitivity toward us only seems to be hurting him. And I still don't understand what changed him. He's been this way since that day—more talkative, less jumpy, more willing to share, more _trusting_—but I don't know what _caused_ it."

Koenma looked thoughtful. "I don't know for certain either. And I don't think we ever will. That's Hiei's concern and his only. But I think Kurama may have had something to do with it."

Yusuke's body jerked oddly. "What makes you say that?" he asked, almost accusingly.

Koenma didn't notice his tone—he seemed deep in thought. "I don't know. Hiei told me about the fight, but…I think he left something out. Something important. Something that might account for this new behavior."

He didn't tell Yusuke that he was pretty sure he knew what had been left out and what it meant. If Yusuke found out that he knew, he might put two and two together and come out with four and find out exactly what was behind Kurama's death, and if that happened, _nothing_ would have stopped him from killing the Reikai prince.

"Well, whatever brought it on—do you think this will last?" Yusuke asked. "Because…I really don't know if I want him to stay this way. It's better in some ways, but worse in more. Do you think it'll go away?"

"You know, Yusuke…I don't think it will," Koenma said softly.

**Darling, I never showed you.**

**  
Assumed you'd always be there.**

**And I took your presence for granted.**

**But I always cared.**

**But I always cared.**

**And I miss the love that we shared.**

Koenma sat at his desk for a long time after Yusuke left, his head in his hands. His limbs were shaking and it was plain to see that he was very rattled. Yusuke hadn't said one thing against him, but just the same, he didn't think he could survive another encounter with the Spirit Detective's grief.

"It would be hard enough if he had shouted and blamed me, but this is a thousand times worse. Because it _is_ my fault, more than anyone realizes." Koenma pounded his desk in frustration and paper flew everywhere. He didn't bother to pick them up but instead buried his face in his hands again. After a few moments, he muttered, "I can't do this. It's all gone so _wrong_…OGRE!"

After a moment's pause, the doors banged open with the force of an explosion and the tall blue ogre George rushed in, looking harassed and a little crazed. "Yes, Koenma, sir?"

"I need you to find someone—someone who _isn't _Botan—to bring me a soul…"

**And I know you're shining down on me from Heaven,**

**Like so many friends we've lost along the way.**

**And I know eventually we'll be together.**

**Together.**

**One sweet day.**

Yusuke trudged home from the portal that had taken him back to the Ningenkai, walking slowly, head hanging. He was _depressed_. Now, granted, the emotion was not new to him—he had felt it almost daily since Kurama was killed—but today seemed worse than usual.

Visiting Koenma had brought a whole new torrent of emotion over the current state of affairs. He hadn't seen the Reikai prince more than twice in the last four months, and those times had been strictly business. Koenma had seemed unwilling to see any member of the Reikai Tentei or anyone associated with them.

And meanwhile, the old gang, which had been so close once, was breaking apart. Except for Yusuke, Kuwabara and Hiei, no one even spoke much anymore.

Botan hadn't been seen in weeks or maybe months, burying herself in work and trying to forget the experience of ferrying her close friend's soul along the River Styx. Shizuru still turned up because of Kuwabara, but this happened rarely and when it did she hardly said anything and smoked more than ever. Yukina, the most sensitive of all of them, couldn't bear to see her brother the way he was, and so, unable to help him, she avoided him instead, and everyone else. Genkai had taken refuge in avoiding everyone and living in utter seclusion. This wasn't out of spite or self-pity, but just because she had already been growing weak, and Kurama's death had dealt a blow that she would never truly recover from. She could tell that her weakness worried them, and so would see no one but Yusuke, who went to her home every week and came back more depressed than ever.

Yusuke only talked to Kuwabara about these unhappy visits—and everything else, really. Never one to overshare, the young Spirit Detective never talked to _anyone_ anymore, except for his best friend. He and Keiko had broken things off long ago, and he had stopped really speaking to her over a year before Kurama died. She had attended the memorial, of course, but even then they had avoided each other diligently. There was no bitterness between them—it was what it was, that was all. So sharing with her was pretty much out of the question.

And as for Hiei—well, in Yusuke's opinion, he was pretty much stark raving mad half the time and the other half he was completely unwilling to talk about anything. Mostly the Jaganshi just stayed close to him and Kuwabara, listening and not speaking, until he made one of those startling speeches of remembrance. He seemed happiest when he was with them—the closest people to Kurama besides himself and Shiori, who hadn't been seen once since her son's death—and so they never expressed their worry over him when he was near. Not anymore.

But how long could that go on? Hiei was getting worse all the time. His heartbreak had been complete, an almost tangible thing, and his regret was even stronger. Everyone had always wondered what would happen if Hiei was pushed over the edge—well, now they knew. He didn't lose control of his power or destroy anything or anyone—it would have been better if he had.

Why _didn't I make Kurama _tell_ him?_ Yusuke wondered, not for the first time. What difference it would have made Yusuke didn't know. All he knew was that Kurama had died not knowing if Hiei loved him, and now Hiei had to live wondering the same thing about Kurama. It was no longer a question to Yusuke—Hiei and Kurama had been in love, had been for _years_, and now they would never know how happy they almost were.

It was so _frustrating_—and _sad._

And nothing could be done about it, or anything else.

_Will things _ever_ be back to normal?_

Yusuke nearly laughed at that—would have if he was able to laugh anymore, but he couldn't even _smile_ these days.

_Of course it won't_.

**Although the sun will never shine the same,**

**I'll always look to a brighter day.**

**Lord, I know when I lay me down to sleep**

**You will always listen as I pray.**

It was almost four hours after Koenma made his decision that he finally made his way into the room where Kurama waited.

He had spent the last four hours arguing with his father, something he only rarely had the courage to do, and now his throat hurt from shouting and his heart pounded wildly in his chest, but he didn't care. He had triumphed over his father, and that was worth minor discomforts any day.

But the victory had some sting in it. King Yama's voice kept ringing in his ears—dire warnings of failure and death, the smug "I knew this wouldn't works" scattered throughout the conversation, and, worst of all, the subtle slip of the fact that Koenma never should have taken the risk he had sending Kurama with Hiei.

_But damn it, I was out of options!_ Koenma thought, gritting his teeth in frustration. _And it _did_ work…or partly, at least…_

Hiei _had_ started fighting better than ever before after Kurama died, which had been the whole point. He had wanted Hiei to get over Mukuro and regain his equilibrium—after she died his skills had gone so sharply downhill that he became a hindrance to the Reikai Tentei when he had been the best of them all—and _that_ had worked, big time, so that Hiei had actually gone _beyond_ his power. But the cost of that seemed to be his gradual parting with reality. Koenma understood exactly what was going on—Hiei's mind, already so well-acquainted with loss, had simply become tired of this world, and was slowly, without Hiei's conscious knowledge, creating a place where there was _no_ loss, and escaping into _that_ reality. If it kept up, Hiei would never leave the comparative safety of his thoughts again. He would _never_ find his way back.

But this was all happening very gradually, and that, at least, gave Koenma a chance to rectify things, to repair the damage he had caused.

Which was what he had spent the last hours shouting at his father.

_How could I have been so _wrong?

**And I know you're shining down on me from Heaven,**

**Like so many friends we've lost along the way.**

**And I know eventually we'll be together.**

**Together.**

**One sweet day.**

When Koenma pushed open the door to the room, he didn't even see Kurama at first. He shut the door behind him and looked around in confusion and slight irritation. Had the idiots put Kurama in the wrong room?

"Hello, Koenma."

"YEEAHH!" Koenma shouted wordlessly, jumping a foot straight in the air and turning before he even hit the ground, to behold Kurama himself—or Kurama's soul, anyway—standing in the corner next to the door. "Yeesh, Kurama, give me a heart attack!"

Kurama chuckled, but it was very forced. It stopped quickly, and silence reigned. Kurama was watching him, but Koenma found himself unable to look the kitsune in the eye, and stared fixedly at a spot just above Kurama's left shoulder.

While normally a soul would have been only a small, beautifully colored light, Kurama's soul had been transformed into a non-corporeal image of himself for the purpose of talking with Koenma, and now he looked exactly as he had the day of his death. He looked neither happy nor sad about being dead—only regretful and slightly wistful for the world he'd left behind.

"I've missed you, Kurama," Koenma said softly. Strange, he hadn't _meant_ to say that…he had meant to say something quite different…but the words were out now. "And so has everyone else. We've all missed you…so much."

"I've missed you, too," Kurama said. "Of course I have, and of course I'm glad to see you, but…why have you brought me here? It will only hurt us both."

"I needed to talk to you. I should have done this months ago, but…I couldn't. Now, though, I have to." Koenma suddenly forced himself to look Kurama in the face, and his voice got stronger. "Kurama, four months ago you sent me a message through Hiei. You told me you 'understood.' I've been trying to figure that out. _What_ did you understand?"

Kurama looked slightly surprised that Koenma hadn't figured it out, but he didn't comment on it and instead replied evenly, "I understood why you had to have me killed."

Of all the replies that Koenma had expected, _that_ certainly wasn't anywhere on the list. He was struck dumb, and simply stood there and gaped at Kurama like an idiot. After about thirty seconds, he managed to splutter, "You _knew_?"

Kurama met his eyes and nodded once.

"B-but…you…you're still…you're not mad at me…"

"No, I'm not," Kurama agreed.

Koenma found himself walking over to lean on the wall next to Kurama for support, and there was another silence. Then he said, "I'm sorry, Kurama." He knew that Kurama was about to speak but he went on, determined to explain everything. "You may understand why you were killed, but you don't know all of my crimes. You may have forgiven me for what I've done, but you'll never forgive what I've caused."

He _felt_ Kurama putting information together for a split second before the sharp inquiry came. "What's wrong with Hiei?"

Koenma gave a ragged laugh. "You always were quick."

"_What's wrong with him?"_

Koenma sighed. "He isn't—he isn't taking your…death…very well. I mean, obviously everyone's unhappy. There's been a cloud over all of us lately, actually. We can hardly stand to be around each other anymore. But Hiei's…different. Not only can he stand to be around people, but he's practically physically attached himself to Yusuke and Kuwabara. He barely manages when they go to classes, and as soon as they're done for the day he's at their apartment. There _are_ times when he leaves them, but…well, where he goes isn't really what you'd call healthy. Now, it's all very well and good that Hiei's become closer to his team, but…his grasp on reality is slipping."

"What do you mean?" Kurama asked, a bite of fear in his voice that made Koenma's stomach churn.

"I mean Hiei's forgotten how to be without you in the last ten years. So his mind is sort of…creating a place where he isn't. And if it continues he won't ever be able to come out of it. We'll lose him. He'll still fight and work for me but he won't be _here_."

"How could you not consider this?" Kurama asked quietly, his voice full of the same disgust that Koenma had felt toward himself lately and no less terrifying for all its calmness. "Or _did_ you consider it, and decide that it was more important for him to keep being your lackey than for him to remain _sane_?"

Koenma winced. "I know I deserve that and much worse, Kurama. But _please_ understand. I swear I didn't see this coming. I thought your death would make things…clear for him. I thought I knew him by now, and I assumed he would want to make you proud, and give your death meaning. I thought it would allow him to stop grieving over everyone he's ever lost in his life. I thought I was _helping_ him." His voice softened. "I'm such a fool…so _stupid_! I didn't _think_! Now that I'm telling you all this, I realize how plain _crazy_ that plan was. I can't even remember what twisted road led my mind to this conclusion!" Koenma's voice became thick with tangled emotion. "I'm so, so sorry, Kurama."

Kurama looked at Koenma's earnest face, sighed, and said, "I know you are. But that doesn't help anything."

Koenma turned to him. "Yes, it does. I can help Hiei."

Kurama snorted, looking very like Yoko all of a sudden. "Oh, yeah? And how do you plan to do that, O Great One?"

It must have been that attitude that did it. Suddenly it wasn't at all difficult for Koenma to look Kurama straight in the eye. "I can bring you back."

**And I know you're shining down on me from Heaven,**

**Like so many friends we've lost along the way.**

**And I know eventually we'll be together.**

**Together.**

**One sweet day.**

Hiei was pacing. Kurama knew that the second he entered his house. _Thud. Thud. Thud. _Left, to right, across the ceiling above him. Kurama stood in the kitchen below his bedroom for a long moment, listening to the footfalls as a feeling he couldn't explain rose suddenly in his chest. It was a thousand joys mixed in with all the sorrows of the ages. Joy at being back at home, able to touch and smell and _know_ his own home again, knowing that later he would see his mother—although he had _no_ idea how he was going to explain _any_ of this to her—and that very soon he would see Hiei, his soon-to-be-lover, if _he_ had anything to say about it. And sorrow because of what he knew about that soon-to-be-lover.

Kurama stood frozen for a long moment, unable to move and not sure why. Then the footsteps stopped, and suddenly Kurama couldn't seem to get to the stairs fast enough. He took the steps three at a time, his feet silent for all his excitement, and skidded to a stop in the doorway to his room. His breath hitched in his throat as he set eyes upon Hiei for the first time in four months.

Hiei was sitting, facing the window, in the exact center of the room, which had been emptied of all of Kurama's things. (Kurama felt a twinge at this, but it was only a momentary one—he knew Shiori, and knew very well that she had simply put everything into storage. She would never let go of her memories.) He had no expression at all on his face as he gazed out at the tree that had served so faithfully as a ladder for the last ten years, but there were tears coursing silently down his face, hardening into gems and rolling away into the corners of the room as they clattered to the floor. The gems were priceless and could have bought Kurama a new house for himself, a new house for his mother, vacation homes out the wazoo, and anything else he or his friends could ever want.

Kurama hated the sight of them.

He didn't say anything—_couldn't_ say anything past the lump in his throat—but something must have alerted Hiei to his presence, for the Jaganshi game a cry that was quickly bitten off, leapt to his feet, and turned around.

His eyes widened slightly. His mouth formed a perfectly shaped "O" and the tears stopped flowing abruptly, though one still stuck fast, halfway down his cheek, not hardening into a tear gem yet but determined to stay right there until someone brushed it away. Kurama longed to, but he was utterly paralyzed.

Then suddenly Hiei's face hardened, and he turned away and looked out the window again. "Go away."

**Sorry I never told you**

**All I wanted to say.**

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_AN: Well, what did you think? Reviews muchly appreciated! _**looks suddenly worried**_ You…do remember how to review, don't you_? **points to little purple box in the lower left-hand corner**_ Clickie that!_

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**Reviewers' comments:**

**evil alien chickens**: Well, I gave you what you wanted! I hope you're happy with the results! I _was_ going to keep him dead—I was planning on it—but I can never seem to commit to leaving my characters dead! Well, at least not Hiei or Kurama. I hate seeing them suffer! Thanks for reviewing!

**KyoHana**: Well, there ya go, Koenma didn't let Kurama stay dead! That was actually a conflict for me—see above reply to "evil alien chickens"—and also it's very difficult for me to make Koenma NOT the villain because he bugs me so much. But finally my great love of Hiei and Kurama won out. Hope you liked it and thanks for your support!

**Shadowbright**: Does that answer your question of what the sequel will be about? **reads chapter again** Well, maybe it doesn't…I can't tell…anyway, I'm glad to know I did the death scene well—I've never been too great at those because it causes my characters pain and I have a hard time doing that—again, see reply to "evil alien chickens." Thanks for the review!

**Black Water Fox**: I know, I know, I'm not too happy with myself either! But...but look—happy! **points at now-living Kurama** See? I'm not COMPLETELY evil!

**Nikkler**: See above reply to "Black Water Fox." But then again, you did say you liked it, so…THANKS! I happy! **Huggles**

**kikira-chan**: Thanks so much! That means a lot. I feel bad for depressing you, though…but hopefully this will lift your spirits a _little_…


	2. Because You Live: Chapter 2

_DISCLAIMER: Don't own anything 'cept the plot. Never will. You all know that. Why is this required again?_

_AN: I'm sorry for the wait! This chapter took freakin' forever to write and I have no idea why!_

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**Staring out at the rain with a heavy heart,**

**It's the end of the world in my mind.**

**Then your voice pulls me back like a wake up call.**

**I've been looking for an answer somewhere.**

**I couldn't see that it was right there,**

**But now I know what I didn't know.**

Kurama honestly could not believe what he had just heard. The words rang through his head, over and over, even as he tried to deny their meaning. He stood in the doorway, wanting so badly to step inside his own room and afraid to. He opened and closed his mouth a couple of times, and finally managed to work out one word. "Hiei…"

"Go away," Hiei repeated, his voice soft, but strong. "You aren't real." He wouldn't look directly at Kurama, or even indirectly; he just kept staring out the window.

Understanding crashed down on Kurama, and his heart leapt painfully. He felt tears spring to his eyes as he realized all at once exactly what Hiei had been going through.

Koenma had been wrong. Hiei _did _realize that he was going insane. Oh, he didn't know it _all_ the time, but that only worsened things. It meant that he couldn't stop it, couldn't bring himself back. He was forced to just let those blank periods come, and there was nothing he could do about it. But now he must have begun seeing Kurama's image, alive—begun _recently_, if the sight still shocked him—and been perfectly aware that it was just in his mind.

_He must be so terrified… _

"Hiei, turn around," Kurama said, pitching his voice so that it was soft and reassuring, yet commanding. Hiei did not move, but Kurama knew he was listening. "Turn around and look at me."

"I don't want to. It hurts," Hiei said matter-of-factly. "It makes me crazier. Every time."

"Hiei. Please. I promise you, this isn't your imagination."

"You always say that. But I'm not listening anymore. Yusuke and Kuwabara are worried about me, Kurama. I can't let them worry anymore."

"Hiei, stop this. _Look at me_."

And now there was a sharp bite of fear in his voice. He hadn't foreseen _this_…he had very little idea what to do.

Hiei turned. "You're afraid…" he said slowly. "You've never…been afraid." He sounded hesitant now. "But…that doesn't make any sense…you're just a ghost…"

"Hiei, you know that isn't true. I know you don't want to risk believing it, but you can tell I'm alive."

Hiei edged slowly away from the wall. "No…it…it isn't _possible_. Please, just…leave me alone."

"It's possible. You should know better, Hiei. You've seen it before."

"But…that was only because of special cases…you just died on a job. You couldn't come back."

Kurama was starting to get a little annoyed. Here he was, trying to pull Hiei from the brink of insanity, and Hiei was being singularly uncooperative. He was trying to _save_ Hiei, and instead here they were arguing over whether he was dead or alive!

It made Kurama's head hurt.

_I thought he'd be glad… _

But even as he thought the words, Kurama knew they were ridiculous. Hiei _was_ glad—so glad he was frightened. He was frightened that if he allowed himself to believe in happiness, it would be taken away again, leaving him in the dark once more.

_There's only one way to settle this._

Hiei was still watching him, but his eyes were uncertain and as Kurama took a step forward, he flinched as the soft shuffling sounds his shoe made on the carpeted floor. Kurama noticed this, but he only moved faster, crossing the room at a run to reach the little demon.

He stopped right in front of Hiei, who stared silently up at him, eyes wide, clearly not expecting this. Kurama reached out and hesitantly touched his hand. He flinched and tried to flatten himself back against the wall again, but Kurama only pulled him closer, and crouched slightly so that they were on eye level and their faces were only about an inch apart.

And kissed him.

He felt Hiei's muscles stiffen in shock, but he didn't pull away. He seemed to be in shock, and Kurama was rather close to that condition himself, stunned by his own daring. But he had been waiting to do this for _years_, and dying had done nothing to improve it.

It was only a few moments before he pulled away, but due to time stopping it had seemed like forever. Hiei's mouth had dropped slightly open, and he stared at Kurama's chest, which was again on his eye level. He seemed to be too surprised to even raise his head.

"There," Kurama said, his voice harsh with sudden, unshed tears. "Has my ghost ever done _that_?"

Hiei made a few incoherent noises, his hand squeezing Kurama's so tightly it _hurt_. Kurama squeezed back, feeling something that was not exactly fear of what he had done, but something akin to it. "Hiei?" he said softly, questioningly.

Hiei looked up at him then, his chest heaving with emotion. He stared into Kurama's eyes for a long moment, and then he seized Kurama by the shoulders, turned him around, shoved him against the wall hard enough to drive the breath from his lungs, and got right up in his face. "You're such an _idiot_, you stupid fox," he whispered, the tears falling hard and fast now. "You're _such an idiot_."

And then suddenly Hiei was kissing him in a _very_ different way than before, pressing him back against the wall, one hand wrapped around his waist and the other tangled in his hair. Kurama's lungs screamed for air, but his mind kept saying, _What's the point of oxygen, really?_

It seemed only natural that he kiss Hiei back, of course. And after that, it was only natural that they find a more comfortable position…on the floor.

And after _that_…

Well, after that, things got naturally hazy.

**Because you live and breathe,**

**Because you make me believe in myself**

**When nobody else can help.**

**Because you live, girl**

**My world has twice as many stars in the sky.**

_+Flashback+_

"_So how do we do this?" Kurama asked, with an admirable show of calmness._

"_It_is_ risky. But not so much to you. I have no doubt that you're willing enough to return to life. Still, it won't be easy."_

"_How does it work…exactly?" Kurama asked._

"_It's a spell," Koenma explained. "A fairly simple one, but it requires very strong will. Now, this spell hasn't been used in hundreds of years, and usually it wouldn't be used now. But I'm going way outside the realm of protocol, because it's what you deserve. My dad says it's completely ridiculous, but at this point I don't really care."_

"_But you aren't telling me how it really _works_," Kurama said._

"_I'm a little fuzzy on that part," Koenma said a little sheepishly. "I only know how to set it in motion. The rest is up to you."_

_Kurama sighed. "How delightfully vague."_

_Koenma nodded with a slight, nervous chuckle. "Now, the first part will be only me. It involves getting your old body back. Since it got left in Makai, it will have…well, it won't be usable anymore. So the first part of the spell involves regenerating it so you'll have something to return _to_."_

"_And this is…difficult?"_

"_Not really. Just involves some chanting and crap like that. All you have to do is stay next to me. Once I finish getting you a body, I'll send your soul back to it. That's where the problem comes in."_

"_What does that mean?" Kurama asked suspiciously._

"_It means that your soul will be very disoriented on the way back to your body. You will have to find your own way—I can't help you. But if your will is strong enough, you can get there."_

_Kurama had no idea what to say to this, so he said nothing at all. Koenma seemed to take his silence for understanding, and said nothing more._

_The next few minutes went by so quickly that Kurama later wondered sometimes if they had actually happened and were not just figments of his imagination. Koenma took a large book out of his desk, riffled through it, and, with no warning, began to speak in a strange language. Kurama had an odd feeling that he should have recognized this language, but he didn't understand a single word. It was eerie and beautiful and dark and dangerous, and it made Kurama want to scream and run even as he stood next to Koenma and listened, enthralled. _

_He had the impression that a very long time passed while Koenma read, but in reality, it was only a few minutes before Koenma fell silent. Kurama staggered. He felt as if he had been sealed up in a tight jar without realizing it. _

_He glanced at Koenma, who was clutching the book with white-knuckled hands, gasping as if he had just run miles, and opened his mouth to ask if that was it. But Koenma dragged in a breath and barked a single word in that odd language, and suddenly Kurama wasn't in Koenma's office—maybe not even in the Reikai. In fact, he wasn't sure he was anywhere at all._

_His surroundings had no color at all. He was enveloped by gray on all sides. It looked as insubstantial as mist, but it exerted such enormous pressure that he felt himself being pressed in from every side. It _hurt

_He stood for a long time—_was_ he standing, or floating?—trying to figure this out. Koenma had said that this part was difficult—was this what he meant? Kurama _did_ feel a little disoriented, but at the same time, he felt that something was drawing at him, trying to show him the way. _

My body.

_Well, that, at least, made sense. His soul and body belonged together, and if his body were actually _alive _after being regenerated, of course it would pull at his soul. So if he followed the call, he would, beyond doubt, end up back where he should be. _

_But the moving part would require some effort, it would seem. _

_Because he couldn't do it._

_The most he could do was twitch his limbs a couple of times. He couldn't even take a step. The sheer pressure had paralyzed him. Not only his soul, but his mind, so that he could barely form coherent thoughts. He could only stand there like an idiot. _

_He had a sense of time passing, but he had no idea how much. He tried to think, to steady his swirling mind, but it was like holding back the tide—the water that was his thoughts slipped through his fingers faster than he could hope to catch them. He started to forget his purpose—where he was supposed to be going, and why._

_But another part of him, the part that was still able to reason, fought, hard, to remember. His will battled with his senses, pulling them back to the surface of his consciousness, and slowly, his will began to triumph, until at last reality smacked him in the face._

Hiei. I have to go back. He's waiting.

_When he regained his senses, he was lying on Koenma's office floor, with the prince himself bending over him, looking concerned but very happy at the same time. Kurama blinked in confusion, but he didn't have to ask what had happened, or if it had worked. He could feel his heart thudding in his chest and in each wrist. He was warm and wonderfully _alive.

_He felt a smile spread across his face, but the words he spoke were commonplace._

"_How long?"_

_Not exactly what one expects to say after rising from the dead, but Koenma acted as if this was the most obvious and natural question in the world. "About three hours. I was beginning to worry," he replied as he took Kurama by the shoulders and raised him gently into a sitting position. "Careful, your muscles will be a little weak…" _

_But Kurama would have none of this. He pulled himself to his feet over Koenma's protests, and steadied himself with only moderate effort. He took a few steps, and his spirits soared as his feet made actual _sound _when they hit the floor and his heart sped up just the slightest bit at the movement. He stopped and raised his hands up in front of his eyes. They were no longer semi-transparent and pale, but strong and dark and healthy._

"_I'm alive," he whispered. "I'm _alive_…" With a sudden whoop of laughter, he turned and grabbed Koenma in a huge, joyful hug. _

_+End Flashback+_

**It's all right, I survived, I'm alive again.**

'**Cause of you, made it through every storm.**

**What is life, what's the use if you're killed inside?**

**I'm so glad I found an angel,**

**Someone who was there when all my hopes fell.**

**I wanna fly, looking in your eyes.**

"Are you going to be all right now, Hiei?"

Hiei didn't have to ask what Kurama was talking about, or how he had known. As soon as Kurama asked the question, Hiei knew that that was why Koenma had brought the fox back.

He automatically opened his mouth to give some generic reply, but then he realized that he simply didn't know the answer. He was certainly _happier_ at this moment than he could ever remember being, but did that meant the voice would leave him alone? Would it stop recounting all his failures, showing him all his ghosts, and let him be at peace?

Then he felt the warmth of the living Kurama lying next to him on the extremely comfortable carpeted floor, felt Kurama's arm around him, holding him close, and remembered what had just happened to change his life, and what it meant, and he knew the answer.

"Yes, fox. I'm going to be fine." _Better than fine._

He felt Kurama smile at the old nickname and drop a kiss on the top of his head, and he snuggled closer to him. This act, which once would have seemed so degrading a show of vulnerability, came as naturally now as breathing, and he loved the thought that Kurama would hold him like this as often as he wanted from this moment on.

"I keep thinking that this is all a dream. That I'm going to wake up and find out you're still gone, and I can never be happy. But that's not true, is it?"

The confession tumbled out before he could stop it, but he realized that he needed reassurance, no matter how embarrassing the words were.

Kurama's arms tightened around him. "It's not true. I'm here. Neither of us is dreaming. I know it for a fact, because I've pinched myself so many times that I think my arm will turn black before long."

Hiei couldn't help it—he laughed. This shocked him so profoundly that he stopped quite quickly. He couldn't remember having _ever_ laughed. Not _happily_. Sadistic chuckles, sure, he had those in plenty, but actual laughter was something quite new.

"That's a good sound," Kurama said quietly.

"Well, maybe now you'll hear it more," Hiei countered.

The two of them fell into companionable silence after this, and Hiei turned slightly to press his ear against Kurama's chest. His heart thumped against his rib cage, the beat regular and steady, and Hiei felt his eyes begin to close, his mind lulled by the sound.

He had fallen into a light doze when Kurama's voice interrupted the cadence, vibrating through his chest.

"Mmm…what?"

"I said, what am I going to tell my mother?"

Hiei replied without missing a beat. "The truth."

All he heard was silence to that, and he turned over to see Kurama gazing at him with his mouth hanging open.

"Well, I think she'd take that best. If you say you hit your head and lost your memory and forgot everything, she'd want details and then take you to one of those human healers, who of course wouldn't find anything and that would be impossible to explain. If you tell her you were kidnapped she'd still want details and a doctor, but this time there'd be what you humans call cops, which would only make things even worse. She knows you wouldn't just take off on some kind of trip and not call for four months and she knew you'd _never_ skip out on classes. Plus she was told of your death only hours after it happened, so she will have guessed that someone was with you when it happened, and _that_ can't be explained away. The only option is the truth, really."

Kurama was still staring at him, and Hiei let out a disgruntled sigh. "Or not. It was just a thought."

"No, no, it makes perfect sense, but…Hiei, I _can't_ tell her I took her real son's soul and made it my own. She would never understand that. She would despise me. And that would be perfectly reasonable, but I don't want it to happen."

"I think you're wrong. She isn't the kind of person who could hate her own son, and you know that, deep down. I think you're just afraid of changes. Because things _will_ change between you, but isn't that what humans say life is about?"

"I don't think those philosophers were talking about a change of this magnitude," Kurama said with a sigh. "But you're right. I have to tell her. And soon. I just…I don't know how."

"I do. I don't think it should be you who tells her you're alive. She certainly _deserves_ to hear the rest from you, but humans are fragile, and if she sees you standing in your kitchen—when you're supposed to be dead—without any warning or explanation, she may just suffer a stroke and take your place in the Reikai."

Kurama laughed at that, and Hiei felt something unidentifiable surge through him at the sound. "So how should I go about it then?"

"Get Kuwabara to talk to her," Hiei suggested instantly. "He's good at talking to people, and I think that'll be required to keep your mother from shipping the three of us to a mental institution before she actually sees you. And to keep her from checking herself in while she's at it. Yusuke and I would only bungle it, and a visit from anyone from the Reikai would only send her to the institution faster, but Kuwabara was the one who broke the news to her in the first place, and he seemed to do it well enough…I think. He won't give details, see."

After a pause, Kurama said, "I think you're right. I have to avoid Mother until I talk to him."

"Your mother is on a business trip until late tomorrow night, so that should be fairly simple."

"How on earth do you know that?" Kurama asked in amazement.

Hiei shrugged. "I lurk." When Kurama simply raised his eyebrows, he explained, "Don't worry, I'm not a stalker. She never even knows I'm there. I've just been…watching out for her."

"…Thank you, Hiei."

"Don't be a sap."

"Oh, and you spying on my mother to keep her safe when you've never met her isn't sappy at all."

"I'm going to regret telling you that for the rest of our lives." But Hiei's voice was utterly unconvincing, and the way his voice softened when he said the last two words laid out all his thoughts right there.

After another moment's pause, Kurama said, "I want to see them, Hiei."

Hiei knew instantly who he was talking about, and he was rather surprised to realize that he didn't mind the thought of relinquishing the time with Kurama all that much. Of course he would _prefer_ having the fox all to himself, but Yusuke and Kuwabara had been unhappy, too—though neither of them had lost their minds—and they had as much right to see him as Hiei did.

"All right. We'll go over there now. They'll be home. Yusuke won't want to go out in the rain. He's a real wimp about getting wet."

**Because you live and breathe,**

**Because you made me believe in myself**

**When nobody else can help.**

**Because you live, girl,**

**My world has twice as many stars in the sky.**

**Because you live, I live.**

Despite Kurama's eagerness to see his friends, he and Hiei walked slowly to the apartment, because Kurama said that he just wanted to _look_.

Rain was still turning the world gray and muddy, but it was lessening now, and even as they walked it stopped completely, and the clouds began to clear. In some parts of the sky, they had already cleared away completely, so that patches of sun shone in the sky. The rays reached down to touch the earth, and spread their warmth to dry the land.

"I love April," Kurama murmured, his arm around Hiei as they walked. "It smells of spring. And I love spring."

"You love all the days and all the months and all the seasons," Hiei said, smiling as he watched Kurama watch the sun.

"That I do. There are very few things I love more." And here he gave Hiei a sideways look that made him go red and duck his head, and change the subject abruptly, lest it move on to…other areas.

"So did Koenma tell you what's been going on? What's happening with us?" he asked, artfully steering the conversation away from topics that made him want very much to return to Kurama's house.

Regardless of the fact that Kurama's room had no furniture.

Kurama's face turned serious. "He didn't say a lot, but what he did say…didn't sound good. For instance, he says the group has split apart. That no one can seem to stand to be in the same room anymore."

"He's right," Hiei admitted reluctantly. He hadn't counted on this—he had been thinking of _light_ subjects.

"I don't understand. Why would that happen?" And under that, another question that Hiei decoded easily: _what happened to _you

Hiei sighed. "I don't _know_. We were fine that first night…" He looked at Kurama and saw to his relief that he didn't have to explain that last part. "…and we were fine the next day, too. We were all just kind of hoping that you'd…come back, I guess. But…I think after a couple days, we began to realize that it wasn't some cosmic joke or nightmare. You were gone. _Really_ gone. And that realization was like losing you all over again. I think that's when it started. When we all began to close ourselves off from each other. Most of us, anyway. I stayed with Yusuke and Kuwabara. That seemed…right, somehow."

He took a deep breath and plunged on, determined to finish the whole thing. "That's when I started to lose it." His voice cracked, but he ignored both that and the growing lump in his throat. "At first it was just an episode here and there, ya know? I would talk about you every once in a while, just as a memory. But after a while, it got…worse. You were in my head all the time, talking to me and…and hurting me, until I had to say what you were saying or explode. I didn't even realize it was happening until about a month ago—it happened so slowly. As soon as I figured it out, I tried to fight it, but…it was too strong. I was going crazy and I knew it."

A tear rolled down Hiei's cheek, and he caught the gem deftly and pocketed it without conscious thought. He was well used to his own tears by now.

"And the worst thing is, a part of me didn't care. Part of me wanted it to happen, because I was always happy while I said what the you in my head was saying. It convinced me that you hadn't ever left at all. I didn't even feel the pain of it until after I came out of an episode. And every time, I swore I would just _ignore_ your voice next time. But always, when it came, I was never able to resist. I would try to remember the pain I must have brought to the others, and I would try to remember my promise to you, to the _real_ you, but…the thought of being happy, even for a little while…it was so strong. And I was so selfish, and _weak_…gods, I was pathetic…"

Hiei yelped as Kurama suddenly stopped dead and jerked Hiei around to face him. "You listen to me," he said, his voice low. "You are _none_ of those things. You cared far too much about my death to ever be selfish. If you thought only of yourself you would have either let yourself sink into false happiness _without_ trying at all, or you would have killed yourself. But you tried to come back. You tried so hard. And the fact that you couldn't doesn't make you weak. Don't _ever_ think that. You've gone through so much in your life. You've lost family, friends, homes; you've been uprooted every time you tried to make a life for yourself. It's enough to drive anyone with _any_ spark of feeling mad, and most would have been incapable of holding on half as long as you did. But not only did you stay sane for all of your life except the last four months, you actually managed to love again, and trust. That doesn't make you weak, Hiei. It makes you the strongest person I know."

Hiei looked utterly shocked for a moment, and more tears glistened in his eyes, but then he regained himself and muttered, "I thought I told you not to be a sap." But he was smiling, and almost before he finished speaking he pulled Kurama down for a kiss.

**Because you live there's a reason why**

**I carry on when I lose the fight.**

**I want to give you what you've given me,**

**Always.**

"This is Yusuke and Kuwabara's new place?" Kurama asked.

"Yeah," Hiei replied. "It's nice, isn't it?"

"How did they _afford_ this?" Kurama looked around in awe at the beautiful apartment complex around him, complete with pool and fountain.

Hiei shrugged dismissively. "I've been saving and selling my gems." He said it casually, lightly, but Kurama felt his pain and squeezed his hand gently. Hiei smiled reassuringly at him. "I figured they might as well have _some_ use. Besides, I'm living with them instead of in trees now, so it actually matters what the place is like."

An odd look passed over Kurama's face, but it was gone before Hiei could identify it, and Kurama asked, "Are you sure they're home?"

"Yes. They'll be waiting for me to come back."

From what he didn't say, he knew, Kurama would know that this kind of thing had happened before, many times. No need to dwell on the matter.

As they reached the apartment on the ground floor of the building, Hiei took a key out of his pocket. Sliding it into the lock, he said to Kurama, "They'll be sitting on the couch in the living room, which is right through the kitchen. I know their routine by now…" He swore as he had to pull the key back out, having inserted it upside-down. "Never saw the use of these things…breaking the lock is so much _simpler_…"

"It's also against the law here," Kurama reminded him.

"But I never _used_ to follow the rules, until _you_ came along and changed my nice, easy existence," Hiei countered good-naturedly, finally getting the door unlocked and pushing it open. "Come on." Kurama followed him into the kitchen, looking around him with interest.

Everything was far cleaner than one would have expected, knowing that two college boys lived here, but it still bore the mark of _some_ laziness. A box of cereal still stood on the counter from breakfast, there were a few dirty dishes in the sink, and the coffee in the pot had been sitting there at least since morning. But the countertops and table were scrubbed clean and the floor was spotless. And somehow it was doubtful that Yusuke and Kuwabara had done that.

_Man, who would ever have pinned Hiei as a neat freak? _

"I'm back," Hiei called as he led Kurama to the door separating the kitchen and living room.

The other two members of the team were sitting on the couch as Hiei had predicted. Kuwabara sat upright, the TV remote in his hand, flipping through the channels. Yusuke had taken up the rest of the couch, lying against the arm across from Kuwabara, his long legs half-curled in a V in front of him. As Hiei and Kurama walked into the room, Kuwabara spoke without turning. "Hi, Hiei. _Angel's_ on, if you want to watch." His voice was determinedly relaxed, but the underlying concern was detectable. "It's the one where Cordy gets turned half-demon."

Kurama smirked and mouthed, "_Angel_?"

Hiei silenced him with a glare and said, "Sure, but don't you want to see who I brought with me?"

It was Yusuke who spoke this time. "What? Who in the world talks to _us_ anymore?"

And then he and Kuwabara turned and saw, quite clearly, who.

Kuwabara's jaw dropped, and the remote slid through his fingers and crashed to the floor, the batteries rolling off in opposite directions to be found the next day by a very puzzled Hiei. Yusuke sat straight up, his legs swinging off the couch as he stared at Kurama. Slowly, he reached over and grabbed on to Kuwabara's arm. "Do you see him, too?"

Kuwabara gulped. "Yeah, man, I do."

Both of them stood slowly, cautiously, as if afraid of scaring Kurama away. Kurama grinned at them and said, "You two look like you saw a ghost."

He only realized how unspeakably lame the words sounded after they left his mouth, but he didn't have to worry about anyone making fun of him. Both Yusuke and Kuwabara seemed to be in identical states of shock and unable to even hear him.

Kurama was beginning to worry that they were all just going to stand there and stare at each other until they all dropped dead of old age and his resurrection became a moot point. But then, quite suddenly, Yusuke just sort of jumped, leapt across the room, and threw his arms around Kurama, hitting him so hard that he almost fell over. Kuwabara stood nearby, seemingly unable to move, until Kurama reached out and pulled him into the hug. He tried to grab Hiei, too, but the fire demon ducked out of reach with the ease of long practice. Things may be easier between him and the others now, but that did _not_ mean he was willing to _hug_—or even _touch_—any of them except Kurama.

None of them had any idea of how long they stood there in the living room in utter silence, but finally, Yusuke pulled away, though he kept one hand on Kurama's shoulder. He wiped the wetness from his cheeks and spoke in a choked voice. "I don't want to look a gift horse in the mouth, but…_how_?" As he spoke, he guided Kurama to the couch and sat him down. Kuwabara sat, too, and Yusuke was about to sit on his other side when Hiei brushed past him, sat down, curled up next to Kurama, and slid an arm around him with a look that said, very clearly, "_Mine_."

Yusuke looked at him for a moment, eyes slightly wide. Then he slapped his knee and began to laugh. The sound was almost foreign to Kuwabara and Hiei—they hadn't seen the leader of the Reikai Tentei so much as _smile_ in so long. Not that they had been exactly "the hills are alive with the sound of music" themselves, of course, but Yusuke used to be so full of good humor that the change in him had been much clearer than in all the rest.

"Why are you laughing?" Kuwabara asked even as he chuckled himself, though _his_ laughter was more at Yusuke.

Yusuke's mirth died down and he said, "Nothing's funny. I'm just…happy." He grinned at Kurama. "Well, I _did_ tell you to go for it. It took you a pathetic amount of time and effort to actually _get_ there, but…"

It was Hiei's turn to look shocked. "Wait…what…how…_you knew_?"

Yusuke seemed rather gratified to have surprised Hiei so thoroughly. "Yeah. Kurama told me, and I told Kuwabara. But it hasn't gotten outside the three of us…well, four now, I guess."

Hiei turned an accusing gaze on Kurama. "You told _him_ before you told _me_?"

Kurama nodded sheepishly. "Well, I had to tell _someone_, or I would have exploded!"

"Hmm…how about, oh, say…ME?!"

"Well, I didn't know you felt the same way!" Kurama protested defensively.

Hiei rolled his eyes. "Apparently the human mind works in strange ways."

"And before you two get to the make-out stage of this thing, I repeat my earlier question: _how_?" Yusuke broke in.

Kurama smiled at the flash of Yusuke's old humor and said simply, "Koenma. He…didn't like the direction things were going." That was putting the situation on a rather smaller scale than was realistic, but it was true enough. "Technically, bringing me back is against all Reikai law."

Kuwabara slapped his hand on the arm of the chair in delight. "So he finally decided to stand up to his dad."

"I guess so," Kurama replied, shrugging. "He mentioned something about Yama saying that the whole thing was ridiculous. From his tone, I gathered that he was lucky not to be arrested for returning me to life. And he was even luckier not to die during the spell." Kurama decided not to tell them how close _he'd_ come to losing his soul.

Yusuke, who was still crouched in front of them on the floor, having forgotten to move, reached up to give Kurama's hand a quick squeeze. "Forget everything I ever said about that guy. In fact, disregard anything I say about him in the future, too."

"Get…your…hand…of…my…fox," Hiei growled, but there was absolutely no anger in his voice. Rather, to Kurama's immense surprise, his tone was…joking?

"Oh, and Fool, if you know how to dial a phone, call the rest. They'll want to know and he wants to see them."

Kuwabara slapped a hand to his forehead. "Right! Duh! Okay, I deserved the 'fool' comment this time…"

"Don't you always?"

"Shut up, shrimp."

The entire exchange, which had taken place so many times before in front of Kurama, was…different, now. This time, both Kuwabara and Hiei were actually _smiling_, though the former's smile was rather wider than the latter's.

_My God, Hiei's learned to banter…things _have_ changed…_

**Because you live and breathe,**

**Because you make me believe in myself**

**When nobody else can help.**

**Because you live, girl,**

**My world has twice as many stars in the sky.**

Botan, Shizuru, Yukina, Keiko and Genkai did _not_ appreciate being roused from their homes after dark—which it was by the time Kuwabara actually got the calls made—but the fact that he had called at all surprised them enough to get them to come with little complaint, even though Kuwabara hadn't actually _told_ them anything except that they needed to get to his apartment, right away.

They arrived at different times, of course, being rather far-flung as a whole. Botan arrived first, being able to navigate by portal. She was the only one who had an idea of what she was walking into, because Koenma had told her some fifteen minutes before Kuwabara's call. But it seemed that she hadn't let herself believe it, because the moment she set eyes on Kurama she burst into tears that threatened to flood the apartment, and nearly knocked Hiei off the couch completely with her hug.

The rest of them hadn't a clue.

Keiko got there next. She seemed uncomfortable at being in such close proximity with Yusuke after so long, but her feelings were quite forgotten when she set eyes on Kurama. _She_ managed to keep her iron composure. There was very little that could provoke any sort of emotion in Keiko anymore, a result of all the shocks she'd received in her life combined with the fact that her boyfriend was away on Reikai work so often—which was one of the reasons she and Yusuke hadn't been able to make things work. But it was a near thing, and as it was she let a tear or two escape as she ran over to hug him, though she didn't say a word and asked no questions.

Shizuru was again different. When _she_ set eyes on Kurama for the first time since his death, her eyes brimmed with tears, and she murmured, "I knew my little bro was sitting on _something_ big…" Then she took out her pack of cigarettes, seemed to think better of lighting one, put them back, and walked calmly over to pick Kurama right up off the couch with the force of her hug.

The last two arrived together. Yukina knocked on the door—the only one to do so—and, when Kuwabara shouted, "Come in!" she walked softly through the kitchen as though afraid to make any noise at all.

When she got to the living room they all saw that she was supporting Genkai on her arm. The old lady, once so strong and healthy, had become thin and frail over the past months, and now she could barely put one foot in front of the other without help. But the moment she set eyes on Kurama, she let go of Yukina and stood on her own, rigid with shock. Yukina was the exact _opposite_ of paralyzed, though. She shrieked at the top of her lungs and crossed the room in one bound, leaving diamond-hard tear gems in her wake, and flung herself on both Kurama _and_ Hiei, hugging them both so hard that Hiei's eyes nearly popped out of his head.

"By all the gods of ice and snow, how did this _happen?_" she demanded, without letting go of either of them.

But Kurama didn't answer. Instead, he gently disentangled himself from her grip and got up to walk over to Genkai, who had not moved an inch. He crouched in front of her, reached out, and took her hand. "Are you all right, Genkai?" he asked softly.

She simply stared at him for the longest time, and then murmured, in a voice cracked and aged ten years, "It's about time that prince came to his senses."

Kurama looked rather taken aback, but then his face broke into a grin, and he hugged her tightly. After a moment, he pulled away, and led her carefully over to the others, sitting her down on the chair, before going and sitting back on the couch again. Hiei immediately resumed his position of sitting practically in Kurama's lap, and this time, the others noticed.

There was a silence in the room, and then Yukina suddenly said, "I'm so happy for you, brother," and came forward to hug them both again. Hiei flushed with embarrassment but permitted it, Yukina being his little sister and all.

Everyone else seemed to think this pretty much summed it up, and they all seated themselves on the floor around the couch. Kurama smiled around at them all and said, "You have no idea how much I missed you all." He watched them in silence for a bit, then suddenly said brightly, "So tell me things! What's new with all of you?"

And just like that, the awkwardness that was only to be expected when one's friend has appeared after four months of being dead was gone. No one had been quite sure what to say a moment ago, but with Kurama's question suddenly everyone had something to tell.

New classes for Kuwabara and Yusuke, new boyfriend on the part of Shizuru, work for Keiko, Yukina's training in healing from Genkai, and the everyday ferrying of souls that had Botan buried in jobs—none of them were of any importance to the world and would have bored most to death.

Kurama latched onto every word, asking a million questions and extracting every detail of the four months he'd missed.

Hiei, for his part, just lay on the couch with his head on Kurama's shoulder, wrapped in the fox's arms, half-asleep, and let the words wash over him, bring a contentment he never would have thought possible. It didn't matter what they were saying, really—only that they were saying it while in the same room together.

The Reikai Tentei, only a day before fractured and broken seemingly beyond repair, was whole again.

**Because you live and breathe,**

**Because you make me believe in myself**

**When nobody else can help.**

**Because you live, girl,**

**My world has everything I need to survive.**

**Because you live,**

**

* * *

**

_AN: Okay, so it's you guys who get to decide whether or not there will be one more chapter to this story or not. If you vote yes, then I'll write the reunion with Shiori in an epilogue. Review, please!_

* * *

**Reviewers' comments:**

**Catie-brie**: Well, your question got answered—I'm hoping it was satisfactory. And in answer to your question about the updates—well, as I said in the Author's Note, that's up to you readers, whom I love and adore! Thanks a lot!

**Darkness Child**: Yeah, sorry about the cliffe! I normally don't like to leave them, but sometimes the muses force the issue. I hope the chapter makes up for it, and thanks for the review!

**Deannamay**: Thanks for the review, and you turned out to be right about the reunion—I hope. That's what I was going for, anyway—sweetness. I liked what you said about Kurama, too—you put my thoughts of him in words the way I was never able to. Hope you liked this chapter, too!

**The Dot Army General**: LOL, hey there! Thanks for reviewing! And yes, I do know that you don't like Hiei/Kurama fics, but hey, I needed the feedback! Thanks for that, by the way. Now, let's try that maniacal laugh from the top, shall we? **raises conductor's stick thingy** One and two and three and four and…laugh maniacally now, please…**goes off to capture your army while you're busy practicing**

**T.K. Yurikoto**: Don't kill Hiei, now that you know why he said that! If you kill him I can't put him in any more stories! **feeds you chocolate to pacify you** Thanks for the review, even if you DID go rabid on one of the most important characters!

**Kooriya Yui**: Thanks for the review! I'm glad it's different—I don't like to be _too_ ordinary. Actually, I don't like to be ordinary at all. Also, I'm sorry about the typos. I don't have anyone proofing my stories, and I often overlook things no matter how many times I check my chapters. Tell me if they get _too_ bad, would you? Thanks!

**Kikira-chan**: I hope that was happy enough. I didn't want to go overboard on the fluff, but I wanted to have it, obviously. And I thought that this was the way Hiei would most likely react to Kurama dying—I mean, he's so unpredictable that anything's possible, but this just seemed…right, somehow. Glad you thought so, too! Thanks for the review!

**KyoHana**: Well, everything's resolved except Shiori! Thank you _so much_ for your compliments! I normally don't take them well _at all_—I tend to get all red and have to run away—but even I like to know that I don't suck at least once in a while. It means a lot to me, really! Thanks again!

**Shiva-iceflame**: Well, I wasn't able to follow the instructions to hurry up, and I'm sorry about that, but I did my best, I promise! I hope you liked it, and thanks for the review!


	3. Epilogue

_DISCLAIMER: Don't own. Never will. Read the chapter._

_AN: Well, this is the epilogue, people! After this it's over! _**tear**

* * *

When Kurama woke up the next morning, he was momentarily confused over where he was. His surroundings were unfamiliar, but not in a way that made him feel uncomfortable or frightened. Rather, he felt that this place could _become_ like a home, if he let it. 

And this couch was _comfortable_.

_Yusuke and Kuwabara—and Hiei. This is their apartment_, Kurama realized suddenly, and with that thought came memories and a feeling of immense joy, the latter of which only became more pronounced when he discovered that he was not alone on this couch. Hiei had _not_ gone into his own room when Kurama had fallen asleep. Instead, he had climbed up next to him and stayed there, and sometime during the night Kurama had shifted until he held Hiei close to his chest.

He wasn't actually sure when he had fallen asleep. He remembered that the group had stayed very late—so late that paid programming came on TV—but they finally tore themselves away, amid many protests from Kurama, when Hiei noticed the exhaustion he was trying valiantly to hide and kicked them all out. He didn't remember anything very clearly after that—only that he had half-woken when Yusuke spread a blanket over him, and that he had a vague thought that he should go home instead of taking over the couch. He might even have said as much, but _that_ thought had been swiftly and effectively scrunched, if he remembered correctly, by all three owners of the apartment ganging up on him at once.

And now sunlight was streaming through the window over the couch, so it must be day, and from the looks of things, the rain was taking a break.

Kurama lay there and savored the feelings coursing through him. He had been happy enough before, but _this…_it held a wonder that he had never known before. He had his life and his friends back, he was _solid_ again—not being able to touch or affect anything at all had nearly driven him insane, and not having a body just plain sucked—his team was a team again, and he had Hiei.

"You think too loud, K'rama."

Kurama started slightly as Hiei shifted in his arms, mumbling sleepily. Then he smiled. "Good morning, love. Did I wake you?"

Hiei rolled over and hid from the bright sunlight by burying his face in Kurama's shoulder. "You know, I never had any trouble waking up before—only falling asleep. Now that's changed. All I want to do is stay in bed with you…"

"And that's…bad?"

"No."

"So it's good?"

"…No."

"Then what is it?" Kurama asked, feeling a strange inclination to laugh at Hiei's confusion.

"Well, the 'with you' part rocks…"

"_Where _did you learn that phrase?"

"Shut up. As I was saying, the actual sleeping thing is a little weird."

"Why?"

He felt Hiei shrug. "I'm just not used to it, I guess. I still half-worry that I'll be killed in my sleep." He took the edge off his words with a chuckle. "Stupid thought in the Ningenkai, but old habits die hard."

Kurama smiled and pressed a kiss to the top of Hiei's head. "I like your habits. But you _should_ sleep more, so I can't say I'm unhappy about that."

"I don't exactly hate it, either. It's nice not being tired all the time. I never even realized I was…"

"I know. I remember the first time I got a good night's sleep, when I was a child in this body. I—"

"GOOD MORNING, TOKYO CITY!"

"AAAHHH!"

"YOU MORONIC DETECTIVE!"

"WAKEY, WAKEY, EGGS AND BACY!"

"SHUT UP AND COME OUT OF THE KITCHEN!"

Yusuke appeared through the kitchen door at Hiei's screamed order, laughing. "That was fun."

Hiei glowered at him. "How long were you in there?"

"Since about an hour before you woke up."

Hiei wrinkled his nose. "Were you cooking?"

"Don't worry, wouldn't dream of it. I got take-out. You hungry, Kurama?"

Kurama hadn't noticed until Yusuke mentioned it, but he was famished. He hadn't eaten a thing since the morning he and Hiei went to Makai. And, okay, so being dead he didn't _need_ to, but one _did_ miss food.

His face must have answered for him, because Yusuke laughed again and said, "Well, breakfast is in the kitchen."

"Where's Kuwabara?" Kurama asked as Hiei got up off the couch, grumbling. He had just noticed the peculiar absence of the tall carrot-top.

"He's on his way to your mother's house," Yusuke replied, as if this was the most obvious and natural place in the world for the friend of a dead-man-returned-to-life to be.

Kurama stumbled and nearly fell over Hiei. "_W-what_?" he spluttered in disbelief. "You're telling me this _now_? B-but she…and he…she's not supposed to get back until tonight!"

Yusuke shrugged and pushed open the door to the kitchen. "She got back early, I guess."

"But…how did Kuwabara know?" Kurama asked, hardly knowing what he was saying. "To go to my mother?"

"Hiei told me last night that you wanted him to tell her about you being alive so that she wouldn't lose it when she saw you, and I talked to Kuwabara about it this morning. He said he'd be glad to and then he went to call and leave a message telling her to call when she got back. But she was already home, so he left about ten minutes before you guys woke up."

Kurama tried to think of something else to say, but nothing came to him, so he just walked over and began to fill a plate with take-out breakfast. Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew that he should thank Yusuke, but that thought was crowded out by all the others screaming things like, _She's going to hate you!_

Some of his worry must have been palpable, because before a second passed he felt Hiei come up behind him. A pair of arms slid around his waist, and Hiei leaned his head into his back. "It's going to be all right."

Kurama sighed and put his plate down before turning to face Hiei. "How did you know?"

"Fox, you may be good at hiding your emotions as Yoko, but in human form your face gives you away more often than not."

"That's not true!" Kurama protested.

"Maybe not to the people who don't know you, but it is to me. I don't know how you managed to keep your secret from Shiori for this long. She knows you as well as I do, if not better."

Kurama shrugged and turned to pick up his plate again. "I'd say she knows me as well, not better—you know my past, after all, but—I don't know why she never figured out how often I've lied to her. I always counted it as a blessing, but maybe…" He shook his head and walked with Hiei over to the table. He began to eat mechanically, paying little attention to his food. "It's so confusing! I want to stop lying to her—I've wanted it for so long now—but I'm afraid of it at the same time. And I've spent so much time trying to figure it out that it's all tangled up in my mind and I have no idea _what_ I want!"

"I know, Kurama, but we agreed that this was the best—no, the _only_—way. And it'll be fine. I know it."

"Yeah. Kuwabara is more than capable of handling this," Yusuke cut in, setting his own loaded plate next to Kurama's half-filled one. "He won't tell her your secret, but he'll manage to convince her that there _is_ one—and that it'll come as a shock—without even_ hinting_ at it. So she'll be prepared for _something,_ at least."

"How do you know? How can you be sure he can handle it?" Kurama instantly felt bad for questioning his friend's capabilities, but it was true that Kuwabara hadn't been any better at talking to people than any of them four months ago—had probably been worse at it, in fact, if such a thing were possible. Things _couldn't_ have changed so much in only a few months…could they?

The question was answered in Yusuke's reply. "You'd be surprised, Kurama." When Kurama raised an eyebrow questioningly, he explained. "When you died…things were difficult for us. I'm sure Hiei told you." He paused and waited for Kurama's affirmation before continuing. "But obviously, whether or not _we_ were willing to admit you were dead, _someone_ had to take the message to your mom. No one wanted the job, and we argued for about half an hour before Kuwabara finally said he'd go just to shut us all up, and left. He was gone for a long time, and when he came back, he wouldn't say what went on. But Shiori called later to thank Kuwabara for being so kind to her, and she was…well, certainly not _fine_, but…calm. She…she asked if there was a body. When Kuwa told her 'no' she just said, 'All right. Thank you.' And then she hung up, and after the memorial we didn't hear from her a single time. But Hiei says she's dealing, as far as he could tell."

"I'm glad," Kurama said softly.

"I'd like to know what he _said_," Hiei said irritably.

"Anyway," Yusuke said, ignoring Hiei in a manner that told Kurama the subject was _not_ new between them, "I guess Kuwa discovered something that night. Not…a talent, per se, but more…a calling, I guess. He changed his major from physics to psychology, and now he's working toward being a counselor. It happened fast, but…it's right for him, ya know? It's what he's good at. And he really _does_ care, unlike some. I'm…proud of him."

"Gods, you aren't going to _cry_, are you?" Hiei snorted.

"_The point is_," Yusuke said, whacking Hiei over the head—Kurama was mildly shocked when he didn't withdraw a bloody stump—"that you shouldn't worry. What will come will come. And what will come will be good. For everyone. I know it, and Hiei knows it, even if you don't. Now eat your waffle."

XXX

Kuwabara ended up being gone for about two hours. In that time Kurama managed to do every mundane thing known to man. He read five magazines cover-to-cover. He finished ten of Yusuke's mangas. He watched entirely lame daytime TV, made out with Hiei on the couch until Yusuke forced them apart and said to save it for the bedroom, and sparred with both Hiei and Yusuke—he had been pleased and pleasantly surprised to find that his physical strength and skill hadn't diminished; Koenma really had made him good as new—and still he could not get his mind off of that must have been going on at his home that very second.

Finally, though, the front door opened and closed again, and footsteps sounded in the kitchen. Kurama leapt up from the couch as Kuwabara came in, and when he crossed the room and skidded to a stop in front of the redhead, Kuwabara smiled slightly at him and murmured, "Hey." He looked sad, and tired.

Kurama's stomach plummeted. "_Well_?" he demanded. When Kuwabara just looked at him, he asked, in a loud, slightly panicked voice, "_How'd it go_?"

Kuwabara smiled wider, and the mischievous glint in his eyes made Kurama want to smack him. "It went fine, I think. I mean, I don't think she _really_ believed me…I think she was scared to…but I think you can see her now, without any explosions. I told her that you were staying with us for a while and you'd be along soon."

Kurama took a deep breath. "Okay. Okay. Thank you so much, Kuwabara. So this…this is good. I should go then, right?"

"Do you want me to go with you?" Hiei asked, reaching over and taking his hand.

Kurama gripped it, face slightly pale. "That would be nice."

Yusuke came up behind him. "We'll be here. Give us a call later. And Kurama?"

Kurama, who had been about to open the door to the kitchen, turned. "Yes?"

"It's _really_ good to have you back."

XXX

The walk to the Minamono house seemed to take forever and only a moment at the same time. Kurama alternated jogging and walking at the slowest possible pace, both anxious and terrified—anxious to see his mother and terrified at the idea of finally sharing his long-kept secret.

Hiei didn't say a word the entire time. He just kept hold of Kurama's hand and tried to keep his fox from flying apart. This was quite a challenge, because Hiei was rather tense himself. Which was weird, because when you think about it, what did _he_ have to be concerned about? Shiori was only another human, after all, and as such, her opinion should not matter to him.

And he had another worry, too—this one not about himself at all. Something he had not thought about before—had not _wanted_ to think about—had made itself heard.

_What if she really _doesn't_ accept him?_

What if Shiori, despite the unconditional love she had always shown her son, simply wouldn't—or couldn't—accept him for what he was? What would happen to Kurama then? Would he be able to learn to live with that? And where would he go? Would he stay in the Ningenkai, or would he want to go back to Makai?

Well, one thing was certain: he would _not_ lose Kurama again. Wherever the fox went, that was where Hiei would be.

But as unwilling as he was to admit it, the idea of going back to Makai shook him, and badly. He had been comfortable there once, but he knew now that he had never loved it. He had been in constant danger there, and had never known a moment's peace.

And then he had come to the Ningenkai.

It had seemed such an awful place at first—so new and strange, with its annoying human inhabitants and loud, screaming machinery. Oh, how he had _hated_ it! But now that hatred seemed so old as to have belonged to someone else. Now, for the first time in his life, he had friends—though he never admitted aloud that he labeled them such—and he even had a sister nearby. And best of all, he was _safe_ here. No more looking constantly over his shoulder to check for enemies, no more being afraid to sleep at night, no more hidden fear.

He could be happy here.

He could be _home_ here.

But Hiei's mind wasn't on himself at the moment. It was focused on Kurama. He wanted the fox to be happy _so badly_, and the thought of his heartbreak if things took a turn for the worse today nearly made Hiei physically ill…

XXX

They reached Kurama's house around noon, but they stood outside the door for a long time before Kurama took a deep, steadying breath, reached out, and slowly turned the knob, still holding fast to Hiei's hand.

The house was ominously quiet as Hiei stepped inside after Kurama. It was so silent that at first Hiei wondered if anyone was actually home, but Kurama seemed to sense something he didn't, because he immediately headed for the living room.

Shiori was sitting on the chair across the room, facing the doorway. Her hands were folded in her lap, her back rigid, her face blank, her body utterly still. She had the unmistakable manner of one who had received the shock of her life and was rendered completely immobile because of it.

When Kurama and Hiei appeared in the room, though, this changed. The eyes lifted, the hands dropped to her sides, and her body went limp with still further shock. However, she did not scream or flee—just sat there and stared at her son's face, as if memorizing every feature all over again. The stunned silence seemed to have a life of its own, and it rang in Hiei's ears, joining with the pounding of his own heart and Kurama's.

Then the moment ended, and Shiori leapt to her feet and hurtled forward. Kurama dropped Hiei's hand to receive her embrace, and Hiei backed out into the hall to give them some semblance of privacy, though he couldn't help hearing what they said.

This wasn't a problem for the first few minutes, because all Shiori did was cry and mutter incoherent words. Hiei could picture the scene very clearly without the help of his Jagan: Kurama standing a few feet into the room, his mother held close to him, standing almost a head taller than she. The image brought a powerful sort of ache inside him, and he wished he could see it with his own eyes.

After about ten minutes, Shiori's sobs diminished, and her words could be made out. "Shuuichi…my boy…" she kept saying. "Son…my son…"

Kurama gave a choked laugh, the tears evident in his voice. "I missed you. I'm sorry…"

Shiori's voice became clearer, and from her next words Hiei guessed that she had stepped slightly away from Kurama to look him over. "You look all right…" She sounded uncertain, her confusion obvious. "But if you weren't injured…"

"Then what took me so long?" Kurama asked gently. Shiori didn't answer aloud, so she must have nodded in reply. Kurama sighed heavily. "That is difficult to explain, Mother, but…well, let's sit down, and I'll try to tell it properly…Hiei? Where'd he get off to…? HIEI!"

Hiei jumped slightly and hurried into the room. "Yeesh, fox, you don't have to yell! I was only trying to give you some privacy!"

Kurama smiled, though his face was still pale. "Thank you, but I don't like it when you disappear on me, love. You're so silent. It's…disconcerting."

Shiori's look of puzzlement matched her tone exactly as she looked from her son to Hiei and said, "Fox? Love? Where did he…who…are you two…?"

Kurama sighed again and ran a hand through his hair. "Mother, this is Hiei. He's…very much a part of all of this. And 'all of this' is…a long story. One I can't keep from you any longer."

XXX

Shiori sat back on the couch and stared at Kurama, her face slack with surprise. "So…you…you're not…"

"Human, right," Kurama confirmed. _Well, not _completely.

He had just finished explaining things to his mother, from his life as a demon to his death in Makai to his rebirth in human form to his second death. He was amazed that he had gotten through it all, though Shiori had made things simpler by not interrupting once—though that may have been due to shock and nothing more. He had paced all over the room while telling the story, but when he had finished he finished he sat down next to her on the couch and waited tensely for her to start screaming.

Only she hadn't. In fact, for a while, she hadn't said or done anything at all. When she finally did speak, it was to ask this question in a very soft, very shell-shocked tone.

"And you've been a…demon…since you were a child."

"Since I was born and before."

"And…when you disappeared four months ago…you were actually…dead."

"Yes."

"And you came back because the Prince of the Reikai felt guilty for offing you."

"Right."

"Good God…"

There was a silence, during which Kurama fidgeted, Shiori stared at him with her mouth slightly open, and Hiei just stood there looking like an idiot. He jumped when Shiori turned and addressed him directly.

"And you…you're a…a demon, too?"

Now, Hiei wasn't used to being addressed directly by anyone besides Kurama, Yusuke, Kuwabara, Koenma, Yukina, Shizuru, Botan, Genkai, or Keiko. Despite his small frame, his trademark scowl was intimidating enough to put most people off. And yet, here Shiori was, asking him a question and obviously expecting an answer, even though he could _feel_ the scowl deepening on his face as she withheld any opinion and kept Kurama in this nervous state—though undoubtedly she was unaware that that was what she was doing.

_I like her._

"I am. A fire demon, to be precise."

"And…how did you come to meet my son?"

Hiei swallowed nervously and looked at Kurama. Trust Shiori to come up with the only line of questions Kurama _didn't_ explain…

Kurama shrugged so slightly that Shiori didn't notice, and gave him a look that said clearly, _Your choice_.

"I met him here, ten years ago," Hiei said, quickly deciding to give her the short version rather than trying to avoid the question altogether. "I had come here from Makai to find my sister, Yukina, and not five minutes after I stepped through the portal I found your son." He used those two words on purpose, placing careful emphasis on them to remind Shiori that Kurama _was_ her son. "To make a long story very short, I attacked him, he dodged, we stared at each other for a while and then he invited me here. He didn't ask me a thing about why I was in the Ningenkai, which is probably why I ended up telling him the truth. Then he offered to help me in my search and we've been…friends…ever since." Here Hiei looked at Kurama again, trying to judge whether or not Shiori should know about their true relationship.

"But…he called you 'love,'" Shiori said uncertainly. "Or at least…I _thought_ he did…did he?"

She wasn't even looking at Kurama out of the corner of her eye now—all of her attention was on Hiei. He shifted uncomfortably. "Um…well…well, yes," he said in a rush, hoping Kurama wouldn't be angry with him. But she made him _want _to tell the truth…_how did she do that?_

And more importantly…

_How did Kurama get away with _anything _as a kid_?

"So you and Shuuichi—Kurama—are…boyfriends?"

"No."

Kurama's eyes snapped to Hiei at that, and there was a sharp hurt in them that wrenched Hiei's heart.

"No, we're not…boyfriends," he repeated. "We're lovers. Since yesterday. But we had feelings for each other _long_ before that—I was just too stupid to recognize it until he was already dead, and so Kurama thought his feelings were one-sided."

Shiori's eyes widened at the news that her son was, apparently, very much a gay man, but she said nothing for a long time. Then…

"You do realize that everything you've told me is completely insane?" She asked the question almost conversationally, as if they were discussing the weather.

Kurama looked like all he wanted to do was run, but his voice was quite even. "Yes, I realize that's how it must sound to you."

"I've never believed in demons or Makai or anything of the sort. It's not _possible_…" She shook her head. "And yet…here I am, believing every word of it." She looked at Kurama again, and spoke softly, with just a hint of hurt in her voice. "Why didn't you tell me before?"

"I was afraid to," Kurama said simply. "I didn't know whether you'd be willing to accept me. It was cowardly, but _please_ believe that I only lied to you out of love. I just…couldn't stand the thought of you hating me. But I realize now that the time for secrets is past, and I will do _anything_ to regain your trust. Just…_please_ forgive me. _Please_. I—"

"Shuuichi, please, just…stop."

Kurama's mouth snapped shut with an almost audible crack, and he watched his mother fearfully, waiting for the rejection and the "Get out of my house."

"Didn't you hear what I just called you?" Shiori asked gently. "I called you _Shuuichi_. I know your rightful name—Yoko Kurama—and yet I _choose_ to call you Shuuichi, the name I gave you when you were born as my son. _My son_. That is what you are and that is what you'll always be to me. There is no love or trust lost between us because you're my son, and our bond goes deeper than that." She smiled at him, and leaned over to hug him again. "I just wish you'd realized that _before_ you decided to go off and _die_ on me."

Kurama seemed to have a hard time believing what he was hearing for a moment, but slowly what she was telling him sank in, and then, quite suddenly, he let out a very un-Kurama-like whoop and scooped Shiori up as he stood, whirling her around in a circle and laughing, completely abandoning his dignity.

Hiei stood back and watched them, with a small smile on his face. He knew that this was far from over—there would be many talks over the next few days, many questions as Shiori got used to this new information about her son. And then there was the question of whether or not she would accept his relationship with Hiei, but somehow Hiei got the feeling that that wouldn't be too big an issue—after all, what's "my son is gay" compared to "my son is a once-evil reformed demon"?

Everything was going to work out for the best. Watching Kurama hug Shiori with a smile on his face that looked able to crack it in half, Hiei knew that, with a bone-deep certainty that surprise him, for he had never felt sure of anything before.

And maybe…just maybe…even for the Forbidden Child, there _could_ be such a thing as a happy ending.

_After all, I'm watching one right now_.

* * *

**cries** _It's over! Another fanfics over and done with! As all you readers probably know by now, I hate these moments! But everything's gotta have an end, I guess…_**sigh**

_Anyways, don't be mad at me, guys, but my next fic isn't gonna be a Yu Yu Hakusho fic. The next one will be a two-or-three-shot Supernatural songfic, but PLEASE, if you can stand the show at all, read it! PLEASE! And after that will be a one-shot Supernatural fic, but THEN I plan to write a Supernatural / Yu Yu Hakusho / Buffy the Vampire Slayer / Angel crossover! So all Yu Yu is not lost! I promise!_

* * *

Reviewers' comments:

**Shiva-iceflame: **Thanks for the review! And I guess it seemed longer to me than it actually was…

**kikira-chan**: Aww, thanks so much! I'm glad to know I didn't completely ax-murder the scenes, since they were supposed to be all heart-warming and stuff.

**Deannamay**: Thanks! And I hope you enjoyed _this_ particular reunion, too, though I gotta say, the Hiei and Kurama reunion was my personal favorite…of course.

**Kooriya Yui**: LOL, yeah, that kind of thing happens in my head, too…when you forget you ever thought something. And…well, thanks! Really! I never thought my work would keep someone up 'till after midnight…should I feel sorry about that, or gratified? …Think I'm gonna go with gratified. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, too! (Which I did NOT feel forced to write, by the way…I really did want to.)

**The Sylver Kitsune**: Thanks so much! I'm sorry for making you cry, but at the same time I'm happy that I'm able to bring out emotion with my fics. So right now guilt and happiness are sort of contending for first place in my already very busy head…makes things hard. And about the characters…yeah, keeping them in line was probably the hardest thing I've ever done in my life. The only reason I was able to do it at all was that this fic was so short—most of the time, I just give up entirely. Really. Ask anyone. Anyways, please review for this chapter, too, and hope you enjoyed!

**Catie-brie**: Well, there ya go, Shiori Kurama reunion! I hope it lived up to the incredibly nice things you wrote…like I said to Kitsune, I love that I was able to bring out the emotion of the story line. That's one of the harder things about writing for me. But I digress! Please review and I hope you will read my next fic!

**Shadowbright**: Thanks lots! And yeah, I've read those fics, too, and somehow it just doesn't seem _right_ to forget everyone else…except Keiko…**growls** I hate Keiko…but you don't need to hear THAT rant, so I'll just say thanks for the review and hope you like my other fics, too! …I made a rhyme.

AND A BIG GINORMOUS THANK YOU TO ALL OF MY READERS WHETHER YOU DROPPED A REVIEW IN THIS CHAPTER OR NOT! YOUR SUPPORT MEANS THE WORLD TO ME!

Thanks to:

Catie-brie

_Sunflower_

_Shiva-iceflame_

_evil alien chickens_

_KyoHana_

_Shadowbright_

_Black Water-Fox_

_Nikkler_

_Kikira-chan_

Deannamay

_sil-kurama_

_Kooriya Yui_

_DragonRose888_

_The Sylver Kitsune_

_T.K. Yurikoto_

* * *

"Hope is a thing with feathers that perches in the soul,

And sings the true without the words

And never stops at all."

–Emily Dickinson


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